Friday, May 09, 2008

ANBAR PASSAGE - U.S. Marines ensure the area is clear of threats during a cache search in western Anbar province, May 1, 2008. The Marines have found several caches around the area, including one with more than six 120 mm rounds. The Marines are assigned to Company C, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Tomlinson

A joint Iraqi-American raid in the northern city of Mosul has resulted in the arrest of the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, a spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense told FOX News on Thursday, but U.S. officials aren't convinced yet of the suspect's identity.

DNA tests are being conducted to confirm the man captured is Abu Ayyub al-Masri. U.S. officials are cautious because al-Masri is an elusive figure and previous reports of his death or capture all turned out to be false.

One U.S. source tells FOX News that the intelligence community is "extremely skeptical" that al-Masri has been arrested.

If al-Masri's identity is confirmed, however, the arrest would be a significant blow to Al Qaeda in Iraq, not so much because of the disruption to its leadership but because of the information he may be able to provide.

USS ESSEX AT THE READY - The USS Essex, anchored in the Gulf of Thailand, May 8, 2008, stands ready to assist the the people of Burma, where a cyclone and tidal wave struck the nation, killing thousands of people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The Navy is dispatching helicopters from the ship to a staging area in Thailand, where they will be able to reach Burma with relief supplies within hours. Essex is equipped with 23 helicopters and five amphibious landing craft, and carries 1,800 Marines. U.S. Navy photograph by Seaman Kari R. BergmanStory - More Photos

Today in History1502 - Columbus sets sail from Spain on his 4th & final trip to New World.1689 - King William III of England declares war on France.1753 - King Louis XV disbands the French parliament.1788 - English parliament accepts abolishment of the slave trade.1862 - The U.S. Naval Academy is relocated from Annapolis, MD to Newport, RI.1864 - Battle of Dalton, GA1901 - Australia opens its first parliament in Melbourne.1936 - Italy takes Addis Ababa, annexing Abyssinia (Ethiopia)1941 - The British Army breaks German spy codes.1943 - The 5th German Panser army surrenders in Tunisia.1944 - Dutch resistance fighter Gerard Musch is arrested; The Russians recapture Crimea, taking Sevastopol.1945 - Czechoslovakia is liberated from Nazi occupation; Jersey is liberated from the Nazis; Nazi propagandist Max Blokzijl is arrested; A victory celebration takes place at Red Square.1949 - Prince Rainier III becomes the leader of Monaco.1950 - French Foreign minister Robert Schuman announces the Schuman Plan for European integration.1955 - The German Federal Republic joins NATO.1960 - Nigeria becomes a member of the British Commonwealth; The U.S. send a U-2 over the USSR.1962 - A laser beam is successfully bounced off the Moon for the first time.1964 - Khrushchev visits Egypt.1967 - The first flight of a Fokker F-28 Fellowship occurs.1977 - Patty Hearst is released from prison.1978 - The corpse of kidnapped ex-premier Aldo Moro is found.1979 - The U.S. & USSR sign the Salt 2 treaty, limiting nuclear weapons.1989 - Vice President Dan Quayle says in a United Negro College Fund speech: "What a waste it is to lose one's mind" instead of "a mind is terrible thing to waste."1993 - Paraguay holds its first presidential & parliamentary elections in 50 years.1995 - Kinshasa, Zaire is placed under quarantine after an outbreak of the Ebola virus.1997 - The first US ambassador since Saigon fell arrives in Vietnam.